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MD Financial Management Inc., in collaboration with Scotiabank and the Canadian Medical Association, is proud to announce a $625,000 contribution to target the pressing issue of professional burnout among Canadian physicians.

Across Canada, there has been a growing demand for and use of MIGS. However, the direct and indirect costs of MIGS can be considerable, and coverage under the public health insurance plans is inconsistent across jurisdictions.

Following the letter that the Canadian Ophthalmological Society sent you on March 26, 2018 regarding the impact Novartis/Alcon’s decision to discontinue Isopto Atropine 1% (Atropine) will have on Canadian ophthalmologists, the COS has been discussing the impact this discontinuation will have on other Canadian medical specialties, specifically the Canadian Psychiatric Association and the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians. Our joint response to the discontinuation follows.

A new survey, commissioned by the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, revealed that most Canadians (59%) experience symptoms of potential eye disease, yet only half of these people reported they had seen a health care professional.

In response to Novartis/Alcon’s decision to discontinue Isopto Atropine 1%, the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) has discussed the impact this discontinuation will have with representatives from the following sub-specialty societies: the Canadian Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (CAPOS), the Canadian Glaucoma Society (CGS), the Canadian Retina Society (CRS), and the Canadian Uveitis Society. Our joint response to the discontinuation follows.

Novartis/Alcon has announced that it is discontinuing Isopto Atropine 1%. Currently, Isopto Atropine 1% is listed as an “actual shortage” on the Drug Shortages Canada database, and Health Canada was unaware of the discontinuation when we reached out to them. Consequently, this announcement has caused some confusion regarding the actual status of Isopto Atropine 1%.

The Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society would like to provide clarity to Albertans regarding how to respond to an eye emergency. Recent media coverage has suggested that people suffering from an eye emergency do not need to go to a hospital to receive care….
As the medical and surgical leaders in eye health, EPSAA and COS want to emphasize that anyone who is experiencing an eye emergency seek immediate care at a hospital from an ophthalmologist, even if the injury seems minor at first.